About 786 entrepreneurs and executives of leading businesses worldwide will flock to South Korea's second biggest city of Busan to take part in one of the world's biggest business fairs Nov. 17-19.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit 2005 will be the largest-ever in APEC history in terms of the number of business participants.

The gathering is also the most prestigious annual event in terms of providing a unique opportunity for business leaders from the Asia-Pacific rim to hear presentations about economic and trade issues from APEC economic leaders, economists, policymakers and fellow business leaders.

Although Shanghai attracted 800 participants in 2001, Chinese entrepreneurs accounted for nearly half of the attendees. The previous eight APEC forums attracted less than 650 businessmen.

The meeting, which will comprise of 10 plenary seminar sessions and seven special sessions, will explore the theme of ``Entrepreneurship and Prosperity: Building a Successful Partnership in the Asia-Pacific Region.'

Issues to be addressed at the sessions include global energy challenges, global competitiveness in a borderless economy, natural disasters and global responsibility, information communication technology (ICT) and challenges for globalization and borderless free trade.

The summit will also provide an unmatched opportunity to reinforce business networking among business leaders in the region.